AutoZone Liberty Bowl: How Mike Leach's Air Raid Offense Fared Against His Former Team

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach's Air Raid offense struggled against his former team, and the Bulldogs fell 7 to 34 against Texas Tech on Tuesday.

There was plenty of tension in the air leading up to the much-awaited matchup. Texas Tech is where Leach spent almost a decade of his life and worked to perfect the Air Raid. When he was fired in 2009, the university withheld a large sum of money from him, which he has still not received. Although it is unclear whether or not Leach will be completely paid for his time with the Red Raiders, his revenge will have to wait a little bit longer.

Here is a quarter-by-quarter summary of how his unique style of offense fared against his former team.

First quarter: Mississippi State 0 Texas Tech 10

After an early touchdown by Texas Tech, the Bulldogs took over at the 25-yard line with 12:36 on the clock. Quarterback Will Rogers flew his first pass over the head of Makai Polk and seemed unable to settle in on the first drive of the game. MSU had some success running the ball, but ultimately, Rogers started the game 1-of-4 passing for a mere 11 yards. The Red Raiders tacked on a field goal to put the Bulldogs in a two-possession hole with 3:03 left in the first quarter. MSU's next drive started much better than the first when Rogers found Tulu Griffin for a 10-yard gain. He aired the next pass out to get across midfield quickly before completing an 18-yard pass to Jo'quavious Marks on a long third down. Before the team could get the next play underway, the quarter ended.

Despite his shaky start, Rogers finished the frame 6-of-10 passing for 65 yards. On the other hand, Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith was 2-of-4 passing for 24 total yards. Most of Tech's offense came on the ground, where they racked up 145 yards and one touchdown.

Second quarter: Mississippi State 7 Texas Tech 13

Mississippi State started the second quarter at the Texas Tech 20-yard line. After getting nowhere on the first two plays of the frame, Rogers found true freshman receiver Rara Thomas for an unbelievable, 17-yard touchdown pass. Kicker Nolan McCord made the extra point to cut the team's deficit to three. The defense stepped up big time to force a three-and-out, but unfortunately, State's offense had the same fate. On the next drive, the tough Bulldogs defense seemed to force a fumble, but a questionable call by the officials kept the ball with the Red Raiders. Luckily, a big stop by cornerback Emmanuel Forbes on fourth down prevented any further damage. The defenses traded blows for a little while, but Texas Tech almost got a lucky break late in the quarter. Wide receiver Austin Williams fumbled the punt reception on what would have likely been State's final possession of the half. The Red Raiders had a last-second chance to score from the MSU 14-yard line but were held to only a field goal.

The Bulldogs' time of possession was less than half of what Texas Tech had, but they still managed to have the statistical advantage through the air. Rogers went into the locker room 10-of-17 passing for 103 yards and one touchdown with a 129.1 quarterback rating. Smith trotted off the field with a 44 percent completion percentage on 7-of-16 passing for 60 yards. Unfortunately, that was not a sign of how things would turn out for either quarterback.

Third quarter: Mississippi State 7 Texas Tech 27

Coming back onto the field after nearly 20 minutes in the locker room, the hope was that the Bulldogs would have a fire under them. At first, things seemed to be going well-- they received the ball at the 20-yard line to start the half, and Rogers completed his first three passes quickly. However, the team couldn't convert a third down when it was most necessary and were forced to punt away. Despite having a large number of defenders missing for unexplained reasons, the Bulldogs once again held Texas Tech's offense. Once again, it all amounted to nothing for MSU's offense. The defense finally couldn't keep up anymore, and Texas Tech scored easily on a four-play, 95-yard drive to take a 20-7 lead with 9:03 left in the quarter. Knowing how dire the situation was becoming, MSU finally worked up a bit of momentum to get down the field. Rogers finally found his accuracy, and a big pass interference penalty against the Red Raiders' defense moved the chains even more. Of course, it all came to an end after Rogers was sacked on third down and the following fourth-down conversion. A touchdown pass from Smith to JJ Sparkman with only two seconds left and the ensuing extra point attempt gave Tech the 20 point advantage heading into the final quarter of action.

Rogers fell apart in the third quarter. Although his 10-of-17 passing for 82 yards in the quarter alone was not terrible, he couldn't complete big passes when he needed to and didn't have great awareness in the pocket.

Fourth quarter: Mississippi State 7 Texas Tech 34

The Bulldogs needed to dig themselves out of a huge hole in the final 15 minutes of action. Rogers quickly killed what little momentum the team had when he threw a long interception into double coverage with 12:29 left in the game. The exhausted defense held the Red Raiders as well as they could but ultimately gave up another score to put the nail on the coffin with 8:47 left in the game. Mississippi State got the ball back to do a bit of damage control. Dillon Johnson rushed 30 yards to the opposing 34-yard line to start things off right for his team...and then fumbled the ball away a few plays later. The defense was able to put up a stop, but there wasn't much hope left for the Bulldogs. Down four scores with 4:38 left, the team looked lifeless taking the field for what would be the final time. Marks was able to make the most of his time with his quick feet, and Williams had a 28-yard reception to make up for some of his earlier struggles. The team was able to convert a fourth down thanks to a four-yard pass from Rogers to Jamire Calvin, but ultimately, the Bulldogs didn't stand a chance of coming back. The game ended with the team in red and white celebrating on the field.

Overall, it was definitely not a good night for the Bulldogs on offense. The Air Raid worked well this season, so what exactly was the cause of the downfall? The main problem was Rogers, who had arguably his worst outing of the year. He finished the night 32-of-53 passing for 290 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Rogers was missing key targets, had very little control over his throws and seemed incapable of doing anything when under pressure. It also didn't help that Texas Tech seemed to know exactly what to do against their former style of offense. Despite the tough outing, Mississippi State shows a great deal of promise for the future, as they will return many of their key players and grow from this season's successes.